December 2013

Powermeters enable cyclists to quantify their training effort. Essential kit for the pros, many riders now use them whatever they are training for. Daniel Lloyd shows you how to test your fitness levels to establish power zones.
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Powermeters such as SRM, PowerTap and the new Garmin Vector pedals are becoming increasingly accessible to all cyclists. Powermeters enable you to quantify and measure your training efforts. This is what makes them essential kit for professionals and also why many everyday riders and time-crunched cyclists are choosing them. Powermeters enable you to identify where you are weak and what areas of fitness you need to work on.

Before you set goals with your new powermeter, you need to know what your fitness levels are. Daniel Lloyd shows you the testing protocol that he used as a professional cyclist. This protocol should be performed over two days and can be used every 6 to 8 weeks. Regular power testing will let you and your coach determine how you are responding to your training and allow you to constantly adjust your training levels. This recommended test can be used to measure your sprint power, one minute power, VO2 max and threshold power.

Comment below and let us know how you get on!

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Music - licensed by Cue Songs

How To Use A Power Meter To Test Your Fitness Levels

The GCN Awards celebrate the great and the good of cycling. This is the first edition.
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You voted in this year's GCN Awards and here are the results!

It's been a great year in professional cycling and it's also been GCN's first. With categories ranging from Rider of the Year through to GCN Video and Subscriber's Photo of the Year, we've got an eclectic mix of awards. Chaired by your two suited-and-booted hosts, Matt Stephens and Daniel Lloyd, the GCN Awards surprised some (not least Daniel) and overwhelmed others (perhaps).

We can't wait for what 2014 will bring, and next year we may even invite some of the stars along to our end of year awards. Thanks for all your support in 2013 and here's to 2014! Cheers!


Kidd Massive and Alex Says - Bring Me Down: 

 
Carly Commando - Everyday
Veigar Margeirsson - Victorious: 

1st Annual Global Cycling Network Awards - 2013

Getting a puncture when you're cycling is increasingly likely as winter draws in. Daniel Lloyd shows you how to repair a puncture on the roadside.
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A mid-ride puncture is something that happens to every cyclist. Sometimes, the cause of the puncture is very obvious. Your tyre will deflate very quickly if get a pinch or impact puncture. In this case, you're unlikely to be able to repair the tube. If you get a slow puncture, you need to find the cause of the puncture. This may be a thorn or piece of glass. Remove it from the tyre using a tyre lever. If it's sharp enough to cut through your tyre, it won't have much trouble cutting your hand either. Inner tubes aren't cheap, so if the weather isn't too awful and you have a slow puncture, you can normally patch it. If you've seen GCN's Guide To Roadside Maintenance 

), you'll have patches, inner tubes and a pump with you. 

How To Repair A Puncture On The Roadside - GCN's Roadside Maintenance Series

This egg tortilla is Hannah's take on a Danish classic. It's high in protein, you can make it with any leftovers or whatever you have in your fridge, and it's great with Hannah's nut and seed loaf.
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Buy the Grand Tour Cookbook by Hannah Grant! 

This is a great variation on Danish Aeggkage (egg cake) or a Spanish omelette. It's just the thing for post-ride snack or a rest day meal. It can be adapted to whatever you have lying around. Hannah split this one in half; one half with broccoli and goats cheese and another half with sausage and tomato.

You will need: 
Around ten eggs
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
To top the egg cake:
 - Shallots
 - Roasted Broccoli
 - Goats cheese
 - Tomatoes
 - Spring Onions
 - Sausage

This is great served with salad and Hannah's nut and seed loaf 

How To Make A Danish Egg Cake With Hannah Grant - GCN's Food For Cycling

The Tour of Flanders museum is in Oudenaarde, Belgium's cycling heartland. We took a look around.
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The Tour of Flanders museum or Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen has Tour of Flanders memorabilia from 1891 to the present day. Items include Eddy Merckx's gloves and Tom Boonen's jersey. The museum has an increasing number of international visitors and guests get a true taste of Belgian cycling culture. The museum is curated by Freddy Maertens, former World Champion and Tour of Flanders winner.

If you're planning a trip to Belgium, the Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen is well worth a visit. Check out their website: 

Music: Aidan Laverty, Andrew Halford and Jon Cotton - Peaceful Soul

GCN Visits The Tour Of Flanders Museum

Here's GCN's pick of 2014's crop of new professional cyclists.
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There lots of fantastic cyclists turning professional in 2014. It was hard to narrow it down, but here are the ten (technically it's eleven) riders that we're expecting big things from.

Some of our pick have already won at pro level. Simon Yates and Caleb Ewan already have big wins to their names. Matej Mohoric astounded the world with his descending technique and impressed with his World Championship victory. Rick Zabel has a famous name but can he live equal his father Erik's results at pro level?

Have we missed anyone? Who are you putting your money on for 2014? Comment and let us know.

GCN's Top 10 Riders To Watch In 2014

It's been an eventful year in pro cycling. Former professional cyclist, Daniel Lloyd reviews the year and lets you know what we've got planned for 2014 in his Christmas speech.
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2013 has been an interesting year for cycling and a great year for GCN! Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome's Grand Tour wins may have been predicted, but we definitely didn't see Chris Horner's Vuelta victory coming until it was too late to place a bet.

Marianne Vos and Emma Johansson have lit up the women's cycling scene. Women's cycling has, unlike the men's side of the sport, been relatively scandal free and is increasingly professional - you only need to look at Specialized-lululemon going faster than men's World Tour teams at the World Team Time Trial Championships to see that. We're excited to see what 2014 and beyond holds for the sport.

The classics had us glued to our TV screens this year. From Ciolek's win at Milan-San Remo to Rodriguez taking his second Il Lombardia, via Cancellara vs. Sagan on the pave and Dna Martin taking his first monument, there was barely a dull moment.

At GCN, we set out to reach 100,000 subscribers by the end of the year. We've achieved that and more! Thank you for all of your support this year and we're already looking forward to becoming bigger and better in 2014.

Head over to our Facebook page for your chance to win in our special Christmas giveaway. 

2013 - The Year In Cycling - Daniel Lloyd's Christmas Speech

A balance bike is a great way to teach your child to ride a bike.
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A balance bike is the best starting point when your child is learning to ride a bike. Daniel Lloyd taught his son Jude how to ride a balance bike. It's in the name: a balance bike makes a great starting point as it teaches your kid how to balance on a bike. Once your child can use a balance bike, the transition to an actual bike will be much simpler as the only skill that they'll need to acquire is pedalling.

Have you got any tips for teaching your child to ride? Comment and let us know!

Teach Your Kid To Ride A Bike - How To Ride A Balance Bike

In today's News: Tour or Giro for Quintana, Tour Down Under rosters are announced, Lance Armstrong is accused of doing something wrong and Daniel Lloyd dons the GCN Santa outfit one last time.
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It's the penultimate GCN Cycling News Show of 2014 and the first ever Christmas edition.

Tour de France sensation Nairo Quintana is debating whether he'll start the Tour de France or the Giro d'Italia in 2014. Whether he chooses to light up the Alps or the Dolomites, we can't wait to see him on the attack in the high mountains again.

The team rosters for the Tour Down Under are being announced. The TDU kicks off the UCI WorldTour series on the 19th January. Any riders selected for this race won't be indulging too much this Christmas. Team Sky are taking Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas, Omega Pharma-QuickStep are taking Mark Renshaw and, the ever-popular Jens Voigt is making the first stop of his 2014 retirement tour with Trek Factory Racing.

Lance Armstrong has been accused of doing something wrong, again. It seems like not a week goes by without finding out that someone new wants to dish some dirt on Lance. This time, it was the turn of Roberto Gaggioli, who claims that Lance bought the final round of the Thrift Drug Triple Crown of Cycling for $100,000. It may seem unseasonal and depressing to bring Lance into the Christmas News Show, but this is a seasonal and festive story. Lance reportedly gave Gaggioli the money in a Christmas cake box.

Daniel wears the GCN Santa outfit for the last time in 2013. Danta Claus reads out Christmas wishes from the pro peloton and GCN viewers. Can you guess what Chris Froome wants for Christmas?

Tweets of the week are courtesy of our friend Adam Hansen. Adam tweeted his fatigue levels each day from the recent Lotto-Belisol training camp. Comment and let us know your fatigue levels after Daniel tries out his singing voice on Adam's tweets.

As usual, we've got news from the GCN Strava club 

) and an alliterative Facebook competition. Post your 'Cracking Christmas Cycles' on our Facebook wall. 

Music: 
Inqredible - Thinkin' Bout You
Jonny Hawkesworth - Tinsel Bells

Nairo Quintana, Tour Down Under And Lance Armstrong - GCN Cycling News Show Christmas Special Ep. 52

If your gear cable snaps when you're out cycling you'll need a quick fix to get home.
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Broken gear cables are be a nightmare, whatever bike you ride. You'll need to improvise to get home. You definitely won't have a full tool kit and spare cables with you out on the road or trail, so a good multi-tool will be a life- (or ride-) saver.

Firstly, make sure that you stop in a safe place. Making a broken gear cable rideable again probably won't be a quick job, so if it happens on a winter ride you may want to find a bit of shelter too.

How do you deal with a broken cable? Mobile phone or multi-tool? Comment and let us know!

How To Fix A Broken Gear Cable On Your Bicycle - GCN's Roadside Maintenance Series

Make this simple gluten, sugar and, dairy free nut and seed bread with Team Tinkoff-Saxo chef Hannah Grant.
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Team Tinkoff-Saxo chef, Hannah Grant shows us how to make a gluten-free nut and seed bread. Based on a Danish rye bread recipe, this is a rider favourite on the team. It's packed with healthy nuts and seeds, including flax seeds and chia seeds.

To make Team Tinkoff-Saxo's nut and seed bread, you will need:

600g Mixed Nuts And Seeds (Hannah uses more smaller seeds than nuts)
 - Sunflower Seeds - 150g
 - Flax Seeds - 150g
 - Pumpkin Seeds - 100g
 - Almonds - 100g
 - Pecan Nuts - 100g (total 200g mixed nuts)
 - Chia Seeds - 2tbsp 
6 Eggs (1 egg per 100g of seeds)
1/2tsp Salt
Olive Oil 50ml

Pre heat your oven to 160˚C, 320˚F, Gas Mark 3, mix it all up and bake for around 50 minutes. As Hannah says, this recipe is very forgiving so feel free to experiment with different nuts and seeds!

How To Make A Nut And Seed Bread With Hannah Grant - Gluten, Grain And Dairy Free Bread

6 day races are hugely popular cycling events throughout the winter months in Europe. Daniel Lloyd, our man on the ground, went to the Ghent 6, the most famous of them all.
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The Six Days of Ghent is held annually. It's also organised by Patrick Sercu, widely held to be the greatest six day rider of all time. It is the most prestigious 6 day race, so where better to get a taste of what these events are all about? For the spectators 'Sixes' are about more than just bike racing. Where better than Ghent to sample some Belgian beer? 

In a six-day race the riders race in teams of two from 8pm to 2am every evening in a range of 

 six-day scene is hugely popular amongst both riders and fans. Many of the great road riders and sprinters got their start on the track, so it's very common to see them return to the sixes in the winter. Bradley Wiggins has raced the Ghent six and Mark Cavendish's team, Omega Pharma-QuickStep recently ruled out Cav's return to the track.

Have you been to the Ghent Six? Comment and let us know your memories (or lack of).

December 2013

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